Boudhanath Stupa

This stupa is one of the biggest stupa in the world, located some eight kilometers north-east of Kathmandu. Like swayambhu all –seeing eyes of Lord buddha gaze in each of the four directions.

Like in swayambhunath, in Baudhhanath too there are prayer wheels carrying the holy Mantra “ OM MANI PADME HUM” all around its large diameter. Devotees and visitors following them turn those wheels as t hey go round the Stupa, the belief is that the number of times each wheel moves the person who has moved it will get the credit and benefit of having recited the HolyMantra

Boudhanath (also called Bouddhanath, Bodhnath or Baudhanath or the Khasa Caitya) is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is known as Khāsti by Newars as Bauddha or Bodh-nāth by modern speakers of Nepali. Located about 11 km (7 miles) from the center and northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu, the stupa’s massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal.

The Buddhist stupa of Boudhanath dominates the skyline. The ancient Stupa is one of the largest in the world. The influx of large populations of Tibetan refugees from China has seen the construction of over 50 Tibetan Gompas (Monasteries) around Boudhanath. As of 1979, Boudhanath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along with Swayambhunath, it is one of the most popular tourist sites in the Kathmandu area.

The Stupa is on the ancient trade route from Tibet which enters the Kathmandu Valley by the village of Sankhu in the northeast corner, passes by Boudnath Stupa to the ancient and smaller stupa of Cā-bahī (often called ‘Little Boudnath’). It then turns directly south, heading over the Bagmati river to Patan – thus bypassing the main city of Kathmandu (which was a later foundation). Tibetan merchants have rested and offered prayers here for many centuries. When refugees entered Nepal from Tibet in the 1950s, many decided to live around Bouddhanath. The Stupa is said to entomb the remains of a Kasyapa sage venerable both to Buddhists and Hindus.

“The village that surrounds the great Ksyapa tower is generally known by the name of Baudha. Which in Tibetan is called Yambu Chorten Chenpo. Yambu is the general name by which Kāthmāndu is known in Tibet; and Chorten Chenpo means great tower. The real name of the tower in full is, however, Ja Rung Kashol Chorten Chenpo, which may be translated into: “Have finished giving the order to proceed with.” The tower has an interesting history of its own which explains this strange name. It is said in this history that Kayapa was a Buddha that lived a long time before Shakyamuni Buddha. after Kasdyapa Buddha’s demise, a certain old woman, with her four sons, interred this great sage’s remains at the spot over which the great mound now stands, the latter having been built by the woman herself.